In recent years, there has been significant research and development in the biomedical field with regard to drug delivery devices and, in particular, implantable bio-compatible microchip drug delivery devices. In general, an implantable microchip drug delivery device includes an array of micro-scale reservoirs that are formed in a substrate. The reservoirs are filled with certain medications/drugs that are contained within the reservoirs using releasable membrane structures. The microchip drug delivery devices are designed with various types of actuation mechanisms that allow the contents of the reservoirs to be automatically released (via the releasable membrane structures) either continuously, periodically or “on demand” by an individual (e.g., doctor or patient). These actuation mechanisms generally include passive or high-power active release mechanisms.